Sekkilhar
| Sekkilhar | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Venerated in | Shaivism |
| Texts | Periyapuranam |
| Ethnic group | Tamil |
| Festivals | Guru Puja in Vaigasi (May-June) |
| Genealogy | |
| Born | Sēkkilān Mādēvadigal Rāmadēva 12th century CE |
Sēkkilān Mādēvadigal Rāmadēva(12th century CE),[1][2]known popularly by his family name asSekkizhar,[3][4]was a saint and a contemporary ofKulottunga Chola II.[5]He compiled and wrote thePeriya Puranam(Great Story or Narrative) in 4253 verses, recounting the life stories of the sixty-threeShaivaNayanars,the devotees ofShiva.Sekkilhar himself was later canonised and his work, the Periyapuranam became the twelfth and final book of the sacred Saiva canon.[6]
Life[edit]
Sekkilhar was born as Arulmozhithevan, meaningthe one of the divine language.[7][8]He was a native ofKundrathurvillage (a suburb of the present-dayChennai), a sub-division of Puliyur-kottam in Thondaimandalam.[6]Sekkilhar was a child of precious genius and having noticed this, king Anapaya, that isKulothunga Chola IIappointed him as his Prime Minister on account of his talents.[9]His life is celebrated byUmapati Sivacharyain his fourteenth century work (1313 CE) called Sekkilhar Nayanar Puranam.[10]Sekkilhar had the titleUttama Chola Pallavanand his brother, the titleTondaiman Pallavaraiyan.[11][12]Sekkilhar is also calledGanga-kula tilaka(the glory of the Ganga race) andBagirathi-kula tilaka(the glory of theBhagiratharace) by Umapati Sivacharya in his work, theSekkilar Puranam.[13]TheGuru Pujafestival for Sekkilhar is celebrated annually in the month of Vaigasi-Poosam (May-June).
Compilation of Periyapuranam[edit]
  | ||
|---|---|---|
| The twelve volumes ofTamilŚaivahymns of the sixty-threeNayanars | ||
| Parts | Name | Author |
| 1,2,3 | Thirukadaikkappu | Sambandar |
| 4,5,6 | Thevaram | Thirunavukkarasar |
| 7 | Thirupaatu | Sundarar |
| 8 | Thiruvasakam& Thirukkovaiyar |
Manickavasagar |
| 9 | Thiruvisaippa& Tiruppallaandu |
Various |
| 10 | Thirumandhiram | Thirumular |
| 11 | Various | |
| 12 | Periya Puranam | Sekkizhar |
| Paadal Petra Sthalam | ||
| Paadal Petra Sthalam | ||
| Rajaraja I | ||
| Nambiyandar Nambi | ||
Kulothunga Chola II,then a young king, was a devotee ofLord SivaatChidambaramand continued the reconstruction of the center ofTamil Saivismthat was begun by his ancestors.[14][15]At the same time, he was very interested in the highly eroticJainepicJivaka Chintamani.Sekkilhar, upon noticing this, advised the king to instead turn his attention to the lives of theSaivasaints as described bySundararin hisTiruthondar Thogai.[16]
The king thereupon invited Sekkilhar to expound the lives of the Saiva saints in a great poem. Since Sekkilhar was a scholar in both the Vedas as well as the Agamas and being a Saiva saint himself, knew aboutNayanmars.He composed thePeriyapuranamor theGreat Narrativeabout the lives of the sixty threeNayanmarsor saints and would himself sing it in theThousand Pillared Hallof theChidambaram templeand arouse the latent Chola Saiva zeal.[17]
According to a folklore, when Sekkilhar sat pondering at Chidambaram temple as to how to begin his work, Lord Siva appeared and said his first verse should be:
Ulakellam unarnthu otharkku ariyavan |
He who is known to those who forsake attachments |
Kulothunga Chola IIwas so moved upon hearing the Periyapuranam that he placed the poem and Sekkilhar on the royal elephant and took them out on a grand procession around the streets ofChidambaram,the king himself waved the fly-whisks and showered Sekkilhar with honors.[18][19][20]This work is considered the most important initiative ofKulothunga Chola II'sreign. Although it is only a literary embellishment of earlier hagiographies of the Saiva saints it came to be seen as the epitome ofCholaliterary style.[21]Among all thehagiographicPuranasinTamil,thePeriyapuranam(orTiruttondar Puranam) stands first.[22]ThePeriyapuranamis considered a fifthVedain theTamil languageand it immediately took its place as the twelfth and the last book in the Saiva canon.[23]
Temples for Sekkilhar[edit]
As per an inscription fromSrivanjiyam,Sekkilhar was deified and provisions were made for the worship of his idol by a person called Anapaayan.[24]
There are temples dedicated to Sekkilhar. These include the Kundrathur Sekkilhar Temple atKundrathur,Chennai,and the Devakottai Nagara Sivan Kovil (also called the "Sekkilhar Kovil" ) in the Chettinad region ofSivagangai districtinTamil Nadu,where Saint Sekkilhar is the procession deity.
Research Centre[edit]
TheSekkilhar Research Centreconducts research on his epicPeriyapuranamand the period, art, culture, civilization, rituals, socioeconomic conditions, and religion/secularism of the times and place surrounding it.
References[edit]
- ^K. M. Venkataramaiah, International School of Dravidian Linguistics.A handbook of Tamil Nadu.International School of Dravidian Linguistics, 1996. p. 331.
- ^C. Mookka Reddy.The Tirumal?ava?i Temple: History and Culture Through the Ages.B.R. Publishing Corporation, 1986. p. 43.
- ^C. Jesudasan, Hephzibah Jesudasan (1961).A history of Tamil literature.Y.M.C.A. Pub. House, 1961. p.157.
- ^Mu Kōvintacāmi.A Survey of the Sources for the History of Tamil Literature.Annamalai University, 1977. p. 135.
- ^Mu Kōvintacāmi.A Survey of the Sources for the History of Tamil Literature.Annamalai University, 1977 - Tamil literature - 436 pages. p. 136.
- ^abSujit Mukherjee.A Dictionary of Indian Literature: Beginnings-1850.Orient Blackswan, 1998 - Literary Criticism - 434 pages. p. 356.
- ^Enamul Haque; Gouriswar Bhattacharya.Kalhār (white water-lily): studies in art, iconography, architecture, and archaeology of India and Bangladesh.Kaveri Books, 01-Mar-2007 - Art - 370 pages. p. 366.
- ^Violet Paranjoti.Śaiva Siddhānta.Luzac, 1954 - Śaiva Siddhānta - 152 pages. p. 32.
- ^Shantsheela Sathianathan.Contributions of saints and seers to the music of India, Volume 1.Kanishka Publishers, Distributors, 1996 - Religion - 589 pages. p. 187.
- ^Mohan Lal.Encyclopaedia of Indian Literature: Sasay to Zorgot.Sahitya Akademi, 1992 - Indic literature - 818 pages. p. 3904.
- ^K. Nambi Arooran.Glimpses of Tamil Culture: Based on Periyapuranam.Koodal Publishers, 1977. p. 13.
- ^N. Subrahmanian.An Introduction to Tamil Literature.Christian Literature Society, 1981. p. 49.
- ^Enamul Haque, Gouriswar Bhattacharya.Kalhar (white water-lily): studies in art, iconography, architecture, and archaeology of India and Bangladesh.Kaveri Books, 2007. p. 369.
It says that Sekkilar, the Ganga kula tilaka, composed the Puranam in blemishless language. The title Bhagirathi kula tilaka appears in verse 97, nikarilap-pidu ceyda Bhagirathi kula tilakar Sekkilar ceyda perum tavam, that is, this is the famoush unparalleled contribution of Sekkilhar, the Bhagirathi kula tilaka, as a result of his penance.
- ^Archaeological Survey of India, India. Dept. of Archaeology.Epigraphia Indica, Volume 27,Volumes 13-14 of [Reports]: New imperial series, India Archaeological Survey.Manager of Publications, 1985. p. 96.
- ^Madras (India: State).Madras District Gazetteers, Volume 1.Superintendent, Government Press, 1962. p. 55.
- ^Constance Jones; James D. Ryan (2006).Encyclopedia of Hinduism.Infobase Publishing. p. 327.
- ^B. Natarajan; Balasubrahmanyan Ramachandran.Tillai and Nataraja.Mudgala Trust, 1994 - Chidambaram (India) - 632 pages. p. 66.
- ^M. Arunachalam.The Saiva Saints.Gandhi Vidyalayam, 1985 - Sivaites - 238 pages. p. 206.
- ^India. Office of the Registrar General.Census of India, 1971: Series 19: Tamil Nadu, Volume 6, Part 2.Manager of Publications, 1900 - Housing. p. 49.
- ^Vivek Nanda; George Michell.Chidambaram: Home of Nataraja.Marg Publications, 2004 - Travel - 140 pages. p. 48.
- ^The Home of Dancing Śivan̲ By Paul Younger
- ^Ayyappappanikkar.Medieval Indian Literature: Surveys and selections.Sahitya Akademi, 1997 - Indic literature - 924 pages. p. 522.
- ^Sailendra Nath Sen.Textbook of Indian History and Culture.Macmillan, 2007 - India - 356 pages. p. 102.
- ^B. Natarajan.Tillai and Nataraja.Mudgala Trust, 1994. p. 91.